


New Direction

by Sarren



Category: Heroes (TV)
Genre: Gen, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-12-23
Updated: 2006-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-25 05:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1633151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarren/pseuds/Sarren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written after S1 finale.  Claire visits Peter in the hospital.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Direction

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my awesome betas, zebra363 and special_trille. Also, Trille rocks my world for giving me the perfect ending to the story that wouldn't. end.
> 
> Written for Samantha

 

 

PETRELLI HOSPITALIZATION SCANDAL.

Claire stared at the headline, eyes wide, then quickly looked away and picked up her toast as her father turned the page. Her breakfast was cold and the thought of trying to eat it made her vaguely nauseous. Peter was in hospital?

'You feeling okay, sweetheart?'

Claire's heart beat faster and she looked up with a forced smile. 'I'm okay.'

'You sure?' Her father was looking at her closely. The light glinted off his glasses. Her stomach clenched. How had she never noticed how ruthless he could look? Like a stranger. That's what he was, really. How could he have done this to her? And to Mom, so many times. Wiping their memories. No wonder Mom was so vague sometimes. Did he even love them at all?

'Claire?' he asked gently, lowering the paper, looking concerned.

'I'm fine, Dad. Just that time of the month, you know?' Claire concentrated on looking as casual as possible, and not like her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. Oh god, if he suspected...

Her father nodded and turned back to his newspaper. Claire swallowed the piece of toast she'd been chewing for what felt like forever, though her throat was so dry she had to force it down. She looked at the clock. In a few minutes she could leave for school. Not just yet. It would look suspicious if she went now...

Her Dad's cell phone rang. He took it out and looked at the display, then got to his feet. He leaned over and kissed Claire on the top of the head. 'Have a good day at school, sweetheart,' he said absently, and went into his office, shutting the door.

Keeping a careful eye on the doorway, Claire reached over to where her Dad had left the paper, neatly folded, and started to scan the article underneath the headline.

'Peter Petrelli, brother of District Attorney Nathan Petrelli, who is currently running for Congress, is back in hospital again, this time in Odessa, Texas. The cause is apparently drug related, but it is unclear at this time whether this was another suicide attempt. Witnesses say that Petrelli collapsed in his brother's arms outside the count jail where the younger Petrelli had been detained for questioning...'

Claire dropped the paper and grabbed her bag. She had to get out of the house. She was at the door when she heard the sound of her father's voice, raised in anger. She hesitated. Making up her mind, she let the door swing shut as though she'd left, and crept back to door of the office, but even with her ear pressed against the door his voice was muffled. She was just about to give up when she heard his footsteps approaching.

Claire darted away from the door as it started to open. Desperately, Claire darted behind the breakfast counter. Her panicked breathing sounded loud in her own ears, and she took a deep breath and held it. If he discovered her, it was over. She didn't know what he was capable of anymore. At the very least he'd make sure her memory was really wiped this time.

'Her death is beside the point. He's still in the area.' Her father's steps got further away. 'Because he has unfinished business. Get over to the hospital right away. I'm heading to the school now. My daughter's safety is paramount.'

She heard the front door shut. She waited until she heard his car start before she stood up, letting out her breath. Her dad was going to the school. If she ran she could just make it.

The man who'd attacked them was going to try again. The very thought had her nearly paralyzed with fear. But Peter was in the hospital. He'd saved her life. And if he was sick he wouldn't be able to defend himself. God, they'd barely escaped the last time.

Claire made up her mind. She had to warn Peter.

Nathan smoothed the wayward lock of hair away from his brother's face and sat back in the chair, wincing at the muscle twinges in his back. He'd been there all night, but there'd been no change in Peter's condition since he'd lost consciousness outside the jail. Damn it, he couldn't go through this again - first Heidi, then Dad, now this whole mess with Peter. Peter looked so white, so ill. Damn doctors couldn't find anything wrong, couldn't tell him why his brother wouldn't wake up. He reached for his cell phone. He'd make some calls; get Peter the best help available.

A movement at the door made him spring out of his seat. Not that he really believed they were in any real danger here, but things were getting pretty damn crazy, whether or not he believed in fortune tellers and nuclear bombs and whatever else Peter had been obsessed with recently.

A girl was standing half way in the door. A candy striper, he thought. Pretty, nice legs, way too young. Nathan automatically stepped between her and Peter. 'Yes?' he asked impatiently, hitting his assistant's number on the speed dial.

The girl glanced behind her, looking nervous, and sidled into the room, closing the door. He felt his shoulders tense. 'Mr Petrelli?' she said, sounding uncertain.

She knew him. Nathan closed the call, giving the girl his full attention. 'I'm Nathan Petrelli,' he confirmed warily.

The girl glanced at Peter, then back at him. 'You're Peter's brother?' she asked, as though there might be some doubt.

Nathan paused. Behind him he could hear his brother's steady breaths, but he didn't look away from the girl. 'You know Peter?' he asked carefully.

The girl looked at Peter again, moved closer to the bed. 'We met last night,' she said. 'At Homecoming. He saved my life.'

Nathan stared at her, feeling uneasy. 'You're the cheerleader.' It wasn't a question.

She stepped past him, and reached out, her hand mirroring his earlier touch to Peter's forehead, smoothing his hair away from his face. She looked up at Nathan. 'What's wrong with him?'

'I don't know.' Nathan moved up to stand beside the bed. Peter's eyes were half open, and sometimes moved rapidly back and forth as though he was in an intense REM dream state. Nathan found it unnerving. 'Did you come to thank him?' he asked, turning away.

The girl grabbed his arm. 'I came to warn him. You.'

Nathan looked at the hand on his arm, irritated. Despite himself, starting to worry. 'Is this more of Peter's delusions?'

The girl looked at him like he was the crazy one. 'He's going to kill us! My father has people stationed at the hospital, but they're not going to be able to stop him!' She looked like she was going to cry, for a moment. 'We hardly got away last night.'

It was nuts, what she was saying, but Nathan felt his body tensing, reacting to the stress. He felt lighter, somehow. He was starting to recognize the feeling of wanting to take off. 'Who the hell are you?' he demanded, pushing past her to the door. He looked through the little window. The hallway was empty, and he felt embarrassed that he'd checked.

'My name is Claire Bennet. I'm just a cheerleader, or at least I was til all this weird shit started happening to me, and now my life is over and I have to run away before some other freak finds a way to kill me for good.' The girl was terrified, obviously. She clearly believed what she was saying, crazy as it was. Nathan looked at Peter, remembered how he had sounded, what he had said. He took her arm and guided her to the chair. She sank down on it, but grabbed his hand before he could step back. 'You don't understand,' she said urgently. 'He could be here already. We have to go right now!

Nathan pulled his hand free and glared down at her, his arms crossed. 'I'm not going anywhere until you answer a few questions.'

The girl jumped up and strode to Peter's side. 'There's no time!' She sounded desperate. 'If HE doesn't get to us, my father will. And then he'll make his assistant make us forget!'

Nathan felt something uncomfortable curl in his gut. It couldn't be. What were the odds? He didn't want to ask, but if there was any chance that all this was true - he couldn't risk Peter's life just because nothing was making sense to him anymore. 'This assistant. He by any chance a big Haitian guy, doesn't talk?'

The girl stopped turned away from Peter and stared at him, eyes wide. Answer enough. Nathan felt the last vestiges of scepticism slip away. This was his reality now.

'You know him?' Abruptly, her eyes went wide and she shrank against the door. 'Are you one of THEM?'

'Don't be ridiculous,' Nathan snapped. 'I don't even know who 'they' are, or what they are after. They abducted me from my hotel room the other week, and tried the 'forgetting thing' on me.'

'It didn't work on you?'

'I didn't give them the chance to. I managed to get away. Nathan rubbed his hand across his face and looked at the girl, at Claire, intently. 'Why do you think they're on their way here, and why are they after you too?'

'All I can tell you is that I'm 'different' too.' Claire's mouth twisted as she emphasized the word. 'That's why this guy wants to kill us. We have to go!'

Nathan looked at her earnest, pleading face. Yes, he believed her. He should have believed his brother. Abruptly he realized that time was running out.

Nathan went to the other side of Peter's bed and looked down at him. His little brother was so brittle. He looked like a loud noise would make him shatter. Nathan was frightened for him. He took Peter's hand and held it between both his own.

He looked across the bed at Claire. 'What do we do?'

Claire looked scared and uncertain, and Nathan was reminded of how young this girl he was turning to for guidance actually was. Then Claire's expression changed to one of resolve. Nathan stared at her. Her eyes were clear. She took Peter's other hand and they looked at each other.

'We run,' she said, and it was the sound of the inevitable. 'And then we save the world.'

 


End file.
